After failing to secure European football last season, Newcastle United will have to spend big this summer in order to continue their quest to be the disruptors to the Premier League’s traditional big six.

Toon target new talents this summer

If Newcastle want to prove that 2022/23’s fourth-placed finish was not just a one-off, they will have to make major improvements in a number of areas this summer.

A fresh face between the sticks appears near the top of the Magpies’ shopping list with Newcastle set to secure a deal for Burnley shot stopper James Trafford in the coming days. A fee of around £20million has been reporedly agreed for the young keeper to return to the Premier League.

Newcastle are also eager to bolster their defence with the most recent rumours seeing AC Milan’s Fikayo Tomori linked with a move to Tyneside. The Italian giants are said to want £42 million for the England international, a reasonable price for a player of his quality.

With incomings the priority at St James’ Park, there is the assumption that departures will be necessary in order to ward off any FFP sanctions. With this in mind, it appears that one Toon talent is at the top of the shortlist for one of Europe’s top clubs.

Newcastle man top target for European giants

As first reported by Sport Witness, Sky Sports journalist Florian Plettenberg has stated that Newcastle’s Yankuba Minteh is a target for Borussia Dortmund this summer.

After last week saw Dortmund solve their issues in the dugout by parting ways with Edin Terzic and promoting his assistant Nuri Sahin, the German outfit are now eager to dip into the transfer market and improve upon the squad that made it to the Champions League final last season.

Minteh is one of many names reported to be of “serious” interest to Dortmund with the Gambian winger seen as a back-up option if the club cannot agree a permanent deal for Jadon Sancho.

The 19-year-old spent the last season on loan at Dutch side Feyenoord, contributing ten goals and six assists as his side finished second in the Eredivisie. The winger certainly impressed during his time in the Netherlands, ranking as one of the best performing players in his position.

It was his time with Feyenoord that saw Minteh catch the eye of then manager Arne Slot. Now at the helm of Premier League rivals Liverpool, Slot sang the praises of his player back in 2023 telling the press: ”He certainly doesn’t lack self-confidence, his willingness to give everything is enormous.”

“When we see his statistics, it is really impressive… he is incredibly fast. And he wants it so badly.”

With offloading talent to satisfy FFP a key part of Newcastle’s strategy this summer, Minteh may have to be sacrificed in order to fund much needed reforcements at St James’ Park.